Aaron McPeck is a sixth-year candidate pursuing a Ph.D. in musicology. His interests include techniques of representation, identity, and the function of referentiality within music videos. More broadly, Aaron works with popular music and its intersections with race, gender, and sexuality.
Aaron has presented papers at the 2016 Metal in Strange Places conference and the 2017 International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM-US) conference. In 2018, he presented a poster at the conference of the Society for American Music (SAM). Since arriving at CWRU, Aaron has lectured on grant writing for Cleveland Institute of Music graduate students and, from 2016 to 2017, was a research assistant at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2009, Aaron graduated magna cum laude from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, with a Bachelor of Music in double bass performance. He merited a certificate in Arts Leadership from the Institute for Music Leadership, with concentrations in Leadership & Administration and Entrepreneurship & Careers.
Before attending CWRU, Aaron performed in Montana with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, appeared with the Missoula Symphony, and sat principal for three seasons of the Montana Lyric Opera. When not performing, Aaron served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA and worked in social justice organizations.
Aaron maintains a strong interest in higher education administration and currently serves as the president of CWRU’s Graduate Student Council (GSC). In 2019-2020, he was GSC’s Director for Academic Affairs and spent time volunteering in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.